Moon Song
by The Infallible Detective
Summary: "The moon changes everything. It has the power to change the tides, and change people. To build up and tear down; that is the moon." Enigmar Shion does not understand how fully she emulates the gleaming moon. OCs present, No Pairings, T for Language.
1. Cycle 1, Phase 1

**D-San**: Hey, everyone! I'm back from a really long unproclaimed haitus. I apologize. But, I have good news! I'm uploading this story, and I got a new shorthand for my name! My friend Andy made it for me, but Bel finalized it.

**Bel**: So, D-chan's shorthand is this. *Holds up a sign that says **D***

**Gokudera: **That's good and all, but what does it stand for?

**Bel**: De.

**Gokudera**: Yeah, what does it stand for?

**Bel**: *Growing increasingly irritated* De.

**Gokudera**: *Also growing irritated* Yeah, what does it stand for?

**Bel: **De!

**Gokudera**: YEAH, WHAT DOES IT STAND FOR?

**Bel**: DE!

**Gokudera**: WHAT DOES IT STAND FOR?

**Bel**: DE! D-E; the first letters in DEtective!

**Gokudera: **...Oh.

**D-San**: Anyone who got that reference up there gets a special dedication in a series of Varia one-shots I'm going to do.

**Bel: **Finally; let the real badasses get the spotlight.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Namimori, Japan<strong>_

_**Namimori Junior High School**_

_**12:34 PM**_

~ * ( † ) * ~

Stranger things have happened around Namimori Junior High. A tiny wimpy kid has been tearing off his clothes and running around screaming "I'LL blah blah blah WITH MY DYING WILL" lately, and there have been unexplained holes and ditches in the baseball fields. There have been way more explosions, too. And there's been this smell of smoking fatty tuna coming from inside the fire hydrant box…one would think that with the head prefect Hibari Kyoya walking around, there wouldn't _be _mishaps like that. He bit a kid to death for dropping his school books in a water-filled ditch in the baseball field! You would think that Hibari would prevent the obscene, disturbing, confusing, and strange things that happened around Namimori. But even as students looked up at the roof right now, they noticed that what they were seeing was just…plain…weird.

There was what _appeared_ to be a girl sitting on the top of the gate that barred off the edge of the roof from a good five story drop to the ground. She was wearing a dark green uniform complete with pants, military-styled hat, and shirt; one would notice that she came from Kokuyo. She didn't look like any normal Japanese girl; she had platinum hair, first of all. She must have been a beach bunny or something. She kicked her legs against the fence, almost like she was waiting for someone. She looked behind her, and slid to the outside of the fence to make some distance between her and her pursuer. A crowd had gathered down below to watch the scene. The girl finally took a leap of truth, and fell down to the ground below.

Wait-wait-wait-wait-_what_? Huh? How? Yeah, I don't understand either—let's go back to earlier in the day, shall we? No, in fact, let's take a trip into the past…

~ * ( † ) * ~

_**Namimori, Japan, two years ago…**_

_**House 34; Enigmar Residence**_

_**5:23 AM**_

~ * ( † ) * ~

Enigmar Shion; age 12, five feet, five inches, thought to be of the Norwegian ethnicity, and adopted by local psychologist Enigmar Kasuwaka. Said psychologist had caught the interest of tiny toddler scientist Verde, who held his main lab in Kasuwaka's guest house…yards away from the main house. Verde only came to the main house to observe changes in Shion's schedule, height, and weight, and then he would flee using one of the many systems coursing through the house. The three made for a dysfunctional—well, Verde didn't prefer to be a part of the "family"—family in the strict sense of the word. Verde tried to force his scientific conventions onto Shion, while Kasuwaka taught her how to analyze and group people. All in all, it's a wonder why Shion didn't turn out stranger than she already was.

"Well, why's it a wonder", you might ask? Well, to wonder why Shion isn't a perpetual nutcase, we have to look back into Kasuwaka's history (as well as her own, but when we reach that bridge, we'll cross it). Before he was a local psychologist for the mafia, he was connected to the Estraneo Famiglia. He wasn't as much a part of the famiglia as he was a…affiliate. His grandfather and his father were parts of the famiglia, so it was only inevitable that Kasuwaka be in some way related to the scientists. He didn't approve of experimenting on children, and so he stopped helping his father and grandfather with funding, personality screening, and things like that. That was a few months before the massacre of the Estraneo Famiglia. Shortly after cutting himself off from the family, he met Verde in a small coffee shop that scooped thick black sludge out of a depressing drum and poured it into cracked mugs. Then, a few months after that, Kasuwaka looked into the adoption process and scooped up tiny little six-year-old Shion from the orphanage. It was a seemingly normal picture back then, and Kasuwaka was doing a good job at keeping Shion away from her past, as well as away from his.

Until that fateful night two years ago. Have you ever had a dream where some middle school kid with one blue eye and one red eye said, "I know you helped those monsters; give me compensation or die"? Yeah, Kasuwaka had those dreams, too. Only the dreams were real and he was really being threatened. However, Kasuwaka had an adopted daughter who cared about him very much and offered to take his place, since he knew nothing about fighting and was at the most a psychologist for the common mafia man. Kasuwaka remembered that night; he had been in his bed when the accursed boy showed up in his room. Kasuwaka had yelled when the kanji in his eye switched from one to six, and that was when Shion came into the room and stood eye to eye with the boy's subordinates in the doorway.

"I'll take my father's place", was Shion's short yet noble statement. There wasn't any more that needed to be said.

"Who are you to atone for the sins of this man?" The boy asked, the kanji in his eye switching from one to three. Was that good or bad?

"I'm his daughter of four years. It would be better for someone younger to take his place, right?"

"Hm…" The boy paused.

"I have an idea, Mukuro-san; let's not let her in and let's just kill her dad!" Shion turned her glare onto a blonde boy who was sitting right on the foot of the bed that Kasuwaka was sleeping—now peeing—in.

"Don't touch him." Shion's voice became softer, lower, as she said, "I'll repay his debt."

"Kufufufu." The boy, "Mukuro-sama", turned his attention away from Kasuwaka and focused on Shion. "Your father's debt is heavy, girl."

"If there is any way I can lighten his load, I'll do it."

"Can you wash all of the blood off of your father's hands?"

"No." Kasuwaka whimpered as he heard the snarl of some sort of beast. "Keep them away from my father."

"Perhaps I can use him as a source of collateral, so that you may never betray me."

"She's useless, Mukuro-sama."

"Not as much as you might think, Chikusa." Mukuro turned to male wearing a white beanie, and a slimy smile graced his face. "She'll be our pet. Do all of our dirty work. She'll be a tidier-looking Ken."

"Mukuro-san, that's low!" The boy named Ken snarled, looming over Kasuwaka's head.

"I'll do whatever you want." Shion had said with finality. "I can cook, I can clean, I can steal, I can fight. Just assure me that my father will come out okay."

"Kufufufu. I can't assure that. But I shall take you up on your generous offer…"

"Shion. Enigmar Shion."

~ * ( † ) * ~

**_Namimori, Japan, Present day, present time_**

~ * ( † ) * ~

For the last two years, Shion had donned the Kokuyo uniform and acted as Kokuyo Land's personal cleaning lady, support screener, and security guard on nights of high alert. Recently, she's stalked around Namimori Junior High. She would usually dress in loose-fitting clothing and cover her platinum locks that would stand out even in a crowd. She would slide on dark shades to hide her light blue eyes as well, since they would also draw attention. In this "disguise", she marauded around Namimori as "Rokudo Mukuro"—in case anyone asked. For months, she compiled evidence for Mukuro's "grand master plan". She wrote down Namimori's Disciplinary Committee, and then sifted out the strongest through weeks of prolonged surveillance. After that, she wrote down "Insane Asylum Patient #1—NCOF (No Clothes, On Fire)", who Mukuro said was Sawada Tsunayoshi. Then she wrote down "Insane Asylum Patient #2—Bomber Man", who was Gokudera Hayato. Then there was "The Sane One—Yamamoto Takeshi" (Mukuro was actually amused at how Shion took the time to learn his name). There was also one more person, which is where we are presently—thank god we actually caught up to the plot.

~ * ( † ) * ~

Enigmar Shion was walking through the halls of Namimori, in her "Rokudo Mukuro" disguise. She adjusted the shades that sat over her eyes, and tucked some stray blonde locks back underneath her hat. She was holding the pseudo-completed "hit list" in her hand, and she was looking to fill the last empty line at the bottom of the page. Who would she put in that area, she wondered. She stopped in place, took a pen out of her jacket's pocket protector, and then took the cap off of it with her teeth. She had spent a long time gathering this list and making sure it was perfect.

"The strongest, right? Alright; let's stir up some trouble, as Ken would say."

Shion looked for the number one object in the school that would cause enough of an uproar to draw attention from "the strongest". The fire alarm. There it was, in all of its bright red, untouched glory. Without even wincing at the consequences, Shion placed her fingers around the lever and prepared to pull downwards. All of the students were in their classes, so there was nobody to stop her. With a definitive tug downwards, the fire alarm rang throughout the school. Now it was only a matter of disappearing into the crowd and out of harm's way.

"You had the audacity to pull it in front of my face." Shion turned, and she saw a raven-haired boy standing off to the side. As students scrambled for the doors, he stood resolute, glaring at the intruder—no, the _prey_. "I'll bite you to death."

Shion tipped her hat to the boy, and then ran for the roof. She jumped over a cluster of three or four girls, the boy following right in her tracks. She planted her hands on a small brunette boy's shoulders—hey, she noticed him as Sawada Tsunayoshi—and then flipped over him to get to the staircase to the roof. She heard a cry of "_Juudaime!_" and then two pairs of footsteps were pursuing her. Shion finally made it to the rooftop, but it seemed to be a gated dead end. She stopped in the middle of the roof, adjusted her gloves, and then turned towards the door. She figured that she would either have to fight or jump. She didn't want to do either. _But, these are the kinds of situations you get into when you work for Rokudo Mukuro, _Shion thought with a grimace.

The raven haired boy burst through the door to the roof, and instantly started to attack. Shion blocked one of his tonfas with her glove. A metallic _ping _rang through the empty space atop the roof, and the raven haired boy seemed even more irritated at not hitting flesh. Mukuro had given Shion the "gauntlet gloves"; reinforced steel gloves that were dark blue like his own gloves. "It adds to the disguise", Mukuro had said while watching Shion slide on her gloves earlier that morning. She never thought that the things would be useful.

Shion was fending off the raven haired boy as best as she could, keeping her fists up in front of her face and moving more towards the edge of the roof. She thought that the boy was her only opponent, but that thought was squashed when four or five bombs soared through the air and in her direction. _Shit_.

Shion and the raven boy parted, jumping out of the range of the explosions. A cloud of dust rose up and blocked Shion's view of her attackers, so she took this chance to flee towards the chain link fence that protected stupid asses from falling to their deaths. Shion shimmied up the fence and sat on top of it, waiting to see if her attackers would come. She took the short few seconds to take a pen out of her pocket along with a yellow post-it note.

'_Saw fluffy clouds; thought, "Must eat".'_

_'Hibari Kyoya'_

After writing down the six short words and one fateful name, Shion put the post-it note in her pocket so that she would have it to stick on the wall of her room at home. She heard encroaching footsteps, so she jumped over the fence and onto the ledge of the roof. She kept her eyes on the approaching boy, whose eyes reflected his purpose; he was hell-bent on either beating her to death or sending her falling only to end up as a crumpled heap on the ground. Shion judged her distance from the ground, and factored in her height and weight, and calculated velocity subtracted from the wind drag that she would endure from the clothes she was wearing…

Yeah, she'd still be a bloody pile of mangled joints.

But, she liked taking chances. What the hell, right?

Shion prepared to let go of the fence and fall down below, but she noticed that she was already jumping, already falling to her "death". Mukuro had trapped her in an illusion, much like he usually did when it involved her getting stuck in a dangerous situation. Chikusa and Ken both tossed rocks at her, getting Shion's attention away from the illusion and getting it towards getting off of the roof. Ken scrambled to the bottom of the left side of the roof and held out his arms, looking back at Mukuro. The boy just nodded, and Ken urged Shion off the edge. She dropped down and landed on top of Ken, making him fall on his ass. Mukuro and Chikusa joined the pair just as Shion stood up and pulled the post-it note out of her jacket pocket.

"Here. It's—" Mukuro held out his hand, shaking it.

"Let's make it back to Kokuyo first. It's not exactly tactful to stalk around another school, is it?"

"Says the one creating a hit list." Shion murmured underneath her breath.

"Hey, quiet, Shion-baka! Your snide comments are gonna' get you hurt by me personally!" Ken exclaimed, shoving the girl forward.

"You didn't have to shove me. And why was my death so gruesome?" Shion deadpanned, walking towards Mukuro's right side. "Can I go home?"

"Of course not, Shion-chan. You're helping me with the list, aren't you?"

"No."

"Yes you are." Mukuro wagged his index finger, and Shion just resigned. Two years of this, and Mukuro still knew how to set her "straight". "Let's go."

_I wonder if I can make a break for it_, Shion said while trying to conceal the contemplative look that came across her face.

"You know very well who'd be _heartbroken _if you did, Shio-chan."

At times, Shion liked Mukuro. At times, she could bear him. But at that moment, she _hated _him.

~ * ( † ) * ~

"_Again_?"

"_Yes_, Shio-chan."

"Why can't we use our newly acquired ranking machine?" Shion motioned to the brown haired boy in the corner who was making things float in the air with her frog-topped pen.

"All in due time."

Shion groaned, and let her forehead hit the hard wood of the clipboard that sat on her lap. Chikusa had his list as well, while Ken doodled all over his. There were balls of paper littering the floor, and it was hours past Shion's curfew. Kasuwaka would be worried about her, especially since Mukuro didn't allow cell phones in his presence. The group was creating its fifth list since the last four were duds.

"Let's reorganize; I doubt someone named "Sukebe Sakura"* is even remotely dangerous."

"You're right…"

"We shouldn't have let Shion make the list in the first place!" Ken called.

"List number three was a dud because of your atrocious handwriting." Shion retorted.

"_Fuck _you!" Ken yelled, standing up on his feet.

"_No _thanks." Shion stayed in her seat, reorganizing the targets as she was told to.

"Both of you calm down." Mukuro said.

"We should try to collaborate; put all of our lists into one." Chikusa said. Shion nodded in his direction, still scribbling down her list. "Then we can use the boy."

"Alright. Here's mine." Mukuro placed his list out, as did Ken and Chikusa. There were some similarities, such as the position of Gokudera Hayato and Yamamoto Takeshi. "It seems that we've got similar lists."

"We're split on number ten, though." Shion stated. "For the top five, I calculated their muscle mass and placed it proportional to their height and weight. Then I compared those solutions to other people with the same proportions and can scientifically conclude that these five are the strongest in Namimori."

Shion wasn't surprised to see Ken gawking at her, because she personally thought that Ken was an idiot. But Chikusa's gaze was unusually puzzled, as seen by the scowl on his face. Mukuro's eyebrows were both raised, although a smirk was on his face. Nobody understood the beautiful complications of science…well, Shion only knew the basics of physical science; chemistry was more of her forte in the scientific department.

"In _Japanese_, please." Ken jeered.

"I thought the phrase was "in _English_, please"." Shion countered.

"Does it _sound _like we're speaking English, Shion-baka?"

"English or Japanese, it doesn't matter. What does is that our lists are mostly compatible. I'll make the final choice, at any rate." Mukuro said with a dismissive shake of his head.

"_Fette**."_ Shion muttered underneath her breath.

"Hey, we agreed that you wouldn't speak Norwegian!" Ken said, pointing an accusing finger at Shion. "What'd you call Mukuro-san, anyway?"

Shion paused. She would say exactly what she meant; that he was a dumb fuck for planning to hurt people just for the sake of a world that would resume in being screwed up no matter what he did. But she decided to be nicer today. She smiled at Ken, and tilted her head to the side.

"I said he was the best guy I've ever met."

"Yeah, yeah…I don't believe you!"

Shion closed her eyes, and shrugged dismissively. She really could care less about what Ken thought about her; the blonde was beneath her and Shion liked testing his intelligence. Shion figured that since she already missed curfew, she should stay consistent and stay out a little bit later. She slid her gloves onto her hands, and placed the shades back on her face.

"Where are you off to so late? It's already ten-thirty." Mukuro said with an obvious amused lilt to his voice.

"I'm personally going to pay a visit to one of my top five targets."

"Alright. The boy's going to pick the final strongest fighters tomorrow. Be prepared, Shion."

And with a smirk, Shion was on her way.

* * *

><p><strong>D-San<strong>: Well, uhm...Yes!

**Tsuna**: Oh, a new project?

**D-San**: Yes!

**Tsuna**: I thought you were already working on something...

**D-San**: Who?

**Tsuna**: ...Okay, then.

**D-San**: Anyway, it's time for the FOOTNOTES.

* - According to a few different translators, "Sukebe" means Lech/lecher, and "Sakura" as every knows is the cherry. I wouldn't be very threatened by that name, either.

** - That translates to...well, the C word in English! Shion's Norwegian, so she'll be using a couple of phrases in Norwegian. Mostly insults.

**D-san**: I hope you enjoy this story more than the last one. I might pick up with the last one...eh...Well, have a nice night!


	2. Cycle 1, Phase 2

**D-San: *Listening to 'Guy Love' from Scrubs'***

**Ryohei: What are you doing, D-San?**

**D-San: THERE'S NOTHING GAY ABOUT IT IN OUR EYES!**

**Ryohei: Extremely weird...Hey, I'll edit for you! *Shoves D-San out of the computer chair***

**D-San: Hey! Extremely not cool!**

**Ryohei: I'll type up the disclaimer!**

**Disclaimer: This series does not belong to Detective-san; it extremely belongs to Akira Amano and TV Tokyo! D-San owns no one but Enigmar Shion-san!**

**D-San: That was a surprisingly good disclaimer.**

**Ryohei_: _You mean an _extremely _good disclaimer.**

**D-san: ...Sure.**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Namimori, Japan<strong>_

_**Sawada Residence**_

_**11:02 PM**_

~ * ( † ) * ~

Tsuna has concluded, through carefully placed coincidences, that he is the unluckiest, most no-good person on the planet.

His surprise came at eleven oh two in the night, with the sky as dark as the evening sea. He was still playing his video game, even though there was school tomorrow. He was on the second to last level; there wasn't much more to go. While he played, he thought about the events that had happened at school.

Well, there was the usual mishap that Reborn caused, namely this time shooting him with the Dying Will Bullet so that he ran up to the third year floor and burst into Ryohei's class and demanded a boxing match with him. Ryohei had accepted with much more enthusiasm than (what Tsuna thought was) humanly possible, and then the two ran out of the room, trying to out-scream the other. When Tsuna's dying will…died down, he stood in the hallway in his underwear, Ryohei running ahead of him straight into the girl's bathroom. Tsuna remembered Gokudera coaxing him into the boy's bathroom with a spare uniform, which he was thankful for. After he came out, Hibari and Ryohei were having a showdown in the hall. They had just prepared to exchange blows when…

"Kyo-san! We have an intruder down on the first floor."

"Intruder?" Hibari had turned to Ryohei, and then Tsuna. "I'll deal with you herbivores later."

Then Hibari had gone down the stairs and towards the first year hall. Just a few moments after that, the fire alarm went off. Following protocol, Tsuna, Gokudera, and Yamamoto joined with their class down at the first floor, where a girl had planted her hands on Tsuna's shoulders and used him as a spring vault to get to the stairs. As a result, Tsuna had fallen over and stopped the student's progress out of the building.

"Juudaime! Don't worry; I'll get that woman! Come back here!"

"Get in line; that intruder will be bitten to death."

When Tsuna and Yamamoto had gotten outside, they met with Kyoko and Hana who were pointing and glancing up at the roof. The girl was already on the ledge, ready to jump. And finally, she did. Her hat had come off, and Tsuna remembered seeing long locks of platinum blonde before he heard screams. The walls of the school had been splashed in blood, and the girl lay mangled at the bottom. Some said she was chased there by Hibari, others said that an explosion on the roof sent her over. Whatever the case, it was an event that wouldn't be forgotten. Some kids were actually taken to the nurse because they were shocked at seeing such a thing…

Tsuna yawned, and contemplated turning his game off. But when he reached for it, he felt pressure at his elbow. He looked back, and noticed that there was a person in his room, playing his game. Tsuna looked back at his television screen, and indeed saw a second player beating up the enemies that were converging on the first player. Tsuna—with a petrified expression on his face—stared at the person who was currently playing his game better than he could. There were large black shades hiding the eyes, and a military-styled hat hiding the hair, and gloves hiding the hands, so Tsuna couldn't tell who this person was! So, he did the only thing that he _could _do.

"Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeee!"

"Aaaaaaaahhh!" The figure screamed right back at him, sound just as if not more frightened than he did.

"What are you doing in my house?"

"What are you doing in my room?"

"Don't play dumb with me!"

The figure put more pressure on Tsuna's elbow, and he could almost feel the malevolent glare beyond the black lenses of the shades. "Why're you turning your game off?"

"I…I-I have school tomorrow!" Tsuna exclaimed.

"You should have thought about that before buying such a time-consuming game." Tsuna glared at the figure, and put the game on pause.

"How did you get in here?"

"Do you _really _have to ask? I got in through the window." The figure nodded towards the window, and then took off its hat and shades. Platinum blonde hair spilled over petite shoulders, and blue eyes languidly stared forward at the paused video game. "It's hot in here."

Tsuna looked like he had seen a ghost. In a way, he was staring right at one. This was the girl that the whole school had seen plummet to her death. Hundreds had seen her blood creating an abstract crimson painting on the white wall of the school. How was she even in his room right now? Tsuna was sure that this was the very same girl who had jumped; she at least had the same hair. Nobody had clearly seen her eyes that day until the Disciplinary Committee came to carry the body away. Blood vessels had burst in them, and so the color of the iris was a bit distorted. Now Tsuna could see the color of her eyes in all of their…strange, foreign glory. Her hair fell to her upper back, and then started to curl a bit. Tsuna's face paled even more; he was getting a strange vibe from the girl.

"Would you show Kyoko that face, dame-Tsuna?" Tsuna and the girl looked to Reborn, who had been rudely awakened from his nap by his student's screaming.

"You don't understand, Reborn! She broke into my house! How does she even know where I live?"

"I don't see Kyoko anywhere." Reborn said, shrugging his tiny shoulders.

"I'm not talking about Kyoko!" Tsuna shrieked. He jabbed a finger into the girl's face, and she furrowed her brow. "I'm talking about her!"

"I have a name…"

"Why aren't you at home?" Tsuna asked. "You should be trying to get some sleep, or…"

"Playing…'Final Disgaea Sphere: A Tale of Gears'^?" The girl waved the game's case around, and then tossed it aside. "It only got two-point-five out of five stars anyway; the graphics are more suited for another, non-HD console and the gameplay is extremely jumpy; it feels like playing with rocks."

"I happen to like that game a lot, bad graphics and all!" Tsuna interjected. Then he realized; he was talking video games with an _intruder_. "Who are you to climb in my window and start dissing on my game, anyway?"

"Enigmar Shion; my younger sister jumped off of Namimori's roof."

Reborn murmured something to himself, looking off to the side. "You have a younger sister?"

"Is that hard to believe, especially since you don't know me?"

"I-I...uhm..." Tsuna look at his clock; it was 11:45. "…"

"You look tired."

_No, really_, Tsuna's inner self seethed. Tsuna didn't even _know _he had an inner self, but apparently Shion was so trying that it was inevitable. Tsuna sat on his bed, and looked at Reborn from across the room. Shion had turned off the game and sat on the far side of Tsuna's low-set table.

"Shion, you're related to Enigmar Kasuwaka, aren't you?" Reborn hopped over onto Tsuna's bed, looking up at Shion.

"Why?" Shion shook her head, and folded her arms across her chest.

"From what I know, he only has one kid, and she's adopted." A cat-like smirk seemed to crease Reborn's face, and Tsuna noticed it. That was usually when bad things started to happen, or when he started to consider more additions into Tsuna's "family". Reborn nodded once, and then turned back to his bed.

"Well, this was a pleasant little visit." With a scowl, Shion headed towards the window. She put one foot out, and then looked back at Tsuna and Reborn. "_Auf __wiedersehen*, __Herr _Reborn, _Herr* _Tsuna."

Shion left, and Tsuna listened for a crashing sound. He heard a scream and the metallic crunching sound of his trash cans being crushed underneath Shion's weight. Tsuna heard her curse, and then went to the window to watch her stumble off down the street. The street lights burned a bit brighter to push the darkness away from the lone girl who was heading back to a shadow of a more surreal kind.

~ * ( † ) * ~

_**Namimori, Japan**_

_**Namimori Junior High **_

_**7:25 AM**_

~ * ( † ) * ~

Tsuna had come out of his house exhausted and groggy. He felt like he had phlegm stuck in his throat even though he _knew _that he wasn't sick. Being deprived of eight hours of sleep wasn't a good way to nourish the body, and he wouldn't stay up playing video games and talking to window intruders until midnight ever again. He walked down the street without rushing; surprisingly, he had gotten up early enough to get dressed and eat breakfast without compromising his walking into Namimori's gate at the correct time. Today seemed like it wouldn't be so unlucky, after all. He glanced again at the flyers that his mother had given him; they were "for his own protection". Aikido, boxing, ju-jitsu; he wouldn't be fit for any of those. Reborn was walking on the barrier above him, mentioning Fuuta. _That__'__s __right__…__I __hope __he__'__s __not __hurt_, Tsuna thought. He voiced his thoughts, but they were cut short.

"Huh?"

Tsuna swore that he heard footsteps behind him. He looked back, and saw nobody trailing him. The cogs in Tsuna's head had started to turn, and when they finally put the pieces together, it was like something in him just…clicked. It was like yesterday; you don't have to see a presence for there to _be _a presence.

"S-Sh-Shion-san!"

"The one and only with that name within your perceptive radius. Hello, Tsuna-san, Reborn." To be honest, Tsuna's mind had tossed away the first part of the greeting. Shion hopped down from the barrier that divided the road from the yards of others, and then tipped her hat at Tsuna. "How's your day going so far?"

"Uhm, fine." Tsuna simply said, turning to continue his trek to school.

"Mmn. That's good!" Shion trailed him a bit more in silence, before asking, "They knocked a tooth out of the guy this weekend."

"You mean the attacks on the Disciplinary Committee, Shion." Reborn said.

"Yeah; they've started leaving pocket watches on their victims, too. It's creepy, isn't it?"

"Yeah…I don't feel comfortable going to school with all of this bullying going on." Tsuna said.

"Nobody likes walking around with the brute types running around. I certainly don't." Shion paused and pressed her gloved thumb to her lower lip

"Yeah…" Even though Tsuna couldn't follow her train of thought, he agreed.

"Kokuyo kids are doing it, they say." Tsuna's blood ran cold right away. He didn't even notice he had shuffled up further away from Shion.

"Ah, really?"

"I'd be cautious when walking alone, Tsuna. They're coming after the strongest."

"But I'm not…"

"Tell me when they find out who's doing all of this stuff."

Tsuna had turned to address Shion, but she had jumped over the barrier that led into the backyards of other people. She landed right in front of an open window where a young girl was just waking up. The young girl and Shion stared at each other before the girl yelled and sent Shion over the edge. Shion crashed into their garbage cans, banana peels and balls of crumpled paper flying up into the air. _She __has __such __a __bad __habit __of __doing __that!_, Tsuna thought with a grimace. Tsuna kept walking ahead, though, continuously watching his back. Shion had the skill to sneak up behind him, and since she was a Kokuyo student, she might just be the one attacking all of these people. What a scary thought!

"The Disciplinary Committee is all over the place today." Tsuna said, observing the large group of committee members that were disturbuted over the school grounds.

"Of course. With what happened last weekend, I would be surprised if they weren't." Reborn nodded, scanning the surroundings with his large black eyes.

"Do you think someone with a grudge against the Disciplinary Committee really did it?"

"Of course not."

Tsuna turned, and saw Hibari glaring _right __into __his __face_. Tsuna almost pissed the hell out of himself. _Make __up __an __excuse, __quick, __before __he __bites __me!_

"I-I-I was just going to school and y-you know…"

"I don't know what's causing this fire, but it's my job to put it out."

Of course, anyone in their right mind would be afraid of Hibari. Tsuna might have been No-good in math and school affairs, but he wasn't an idiot when it came to having common sense. Tsuna watched as Shamal was attacked by Hibari, wincing visibly at the tonfa hitting the man in the jaw. Oh, how Tsuna relished his humility and general not-threatening nature! Hibari stalked off a bit down the road when Tsuna heard Namimori's song; his ring tone obviously. How…corny.

"Sasagawa Ryohei is one of yours, isn't he?" Hibari asked. "They got him."

Tsuna's jaw dropped, and you could see straight to the back of his mouth. Ryohei got…_got_? It was almost impossible for him to imagine. He was a boxer, for Christ's sake! Hibari walked off, and that was when Shion popped up out of her hiding place in the bushes.

"That's a catchy school song." Shion said. "Be careful, Tsuna-san. I'll be back to see how you are at the end of the day."

Tsuna nodded, with Reborn watching Shion hop onto another roof and end up in another pile of trash. "Sh-Shion-san! Are you alright..?"

"Never…better…This trash can was filled with uneaten fatty tuna…"

Tsuna sighed, and figured that he should make his way towards the hospital to check up On Ryohei. Shion stood up, popped a piece of the fresh tuna in her mouth, and then started back for Kokuyo. This was the time where seven hundred and thirty days of sitting back and waiting for liberation would be over.

~ * ( † ) * ~

_**Kokuyo Land**_

_**1:10 PM**_

~ * ( † ) * ~

Shion sat at Mukuro's side, watching Ken roll nothing but strikes in the makeshift game of eight-pins-a-water-bottle-and-an-orange-soda-can bowling. All of them had been doing this for a while, even when Chikusa had gone to take his shower. He was still in the shower, and there was nobody but Ken in the room. Shion felt that she could easily take care of Ken if she had the gloves on her hands. She wasn't such a large physical fighter, but she could always muster up a bit of strength when enough cards were dealt against her favor. She could see the tides now; crashing furiously against her shore to wither her away.

"Mukuro." He barely acknowledged Shion; he merely tilted his head in her direction. "How long have we been doing this?"

"Two long, grueling, yet ironically enjoyable years. Why, Shio-chan?"

Was she ready to say it? The words were planned, and she had gathered up so much will-power and confidence. But her fingers trembled; even when she had them intertwined underneath her chin, she wouldn't stop shaking. She stayed silent. Even when he opened her mouth to speak, her throat closed up on her.

"Kufufufu. Silly Shion-chan." Mukuro leaned back, and sighed. His head with tilted towards the ceiling. "When my take-over begins, our world will be perfect. I'll gather scientific professors from all over, and I'll you'll have a montage of writers to transcribe your poems on a whim."

"How very _selfless _of you." Shion said, clenching her teeth. She didn't know whether to curse Mukuro or herself.

"But of course, Shion-chan. In our kingdom, yours will be a special place."

"_Drittsekk*.__Utspekulert __jævelen*._" Shion cursed, settling on reprimanding herself on the inside while she berated Mukuro on the outside.

"Mukuro-san, I hate it when she talks in that damn devil language!" Ken exclaimed, throwing another strike.

"If you don't like it, don't listen to it." Shion replied. "It's not like you can comprehend it anyway."

"Shion…I'mma kill you one of these days!"

"Please, Ken." Chikusa buttoned his jacket, and turned to Shion. "She obviously said thank you."

_Drittsekk_, Shion mentally cursed as Chikusa's emotionless eyes continued to bore into her. He was by far the person Shion could tolerate the most. Shion gripped her fists, and placed her forehead on top of her knuckles. If only there was some way to ensure her father's protection. If she wanted him to be safe…she would need some assistance. And for that…

"Chikusa, I'll be following behind you." Shion said with an edge of finality in her voice.

"Why? I don't need baggage."

"I need some air."

"…"

Chikusa and Shion left the area, with Ken and Mukuro staring after them. When they were out of earshot, Ken roared out in frustration, bowling another strike.

"How many languages does she know, anyway?"

"Three, disregarding Japanese, although she only knows certain words." Mukuro chuckled his signature chuckle, and then closed his eyes. "I do grow tired of her calling me all of these bad things. When she gets back, rough her up a bit to put her back in place."

"Right. That scientific stuff pisses me off too." Ken said, sitting on the floor to sulk. Then something dawned on him. "How do you know what she's saying, Mukuro-san?"

"I don't." Mukuro confidently replied. "It's just that when someone says something between clenched teeth; wouldn't you think they were mad at you?"

Ken only stared blankly ahead at the sand-filled "bowling ball" that sat in the middle of the lane, and shrugged. He _guessed_so, but would that same concept work with a person with a slight lisp? Maybe he would test out the theory when he roughed up Shion later on.

* * *

><p>^The games that were transmutated into that title were...Final Fantasy, Disgaea, Tales of Symphonia, Odin Sphere, and Gears of War. Can you dig it?<p>

*Translations! :D

_Auf wiedersehen - _Goodbye; It's a more formal way to say it.

_Herr _- Mister; sir.

_Drittsekk _- Shitbag; Dirtbag; scumbag.

_Utspekulert __jævelen - _Apparently, it means "cunning fucker".

**D-San: I should totally change the rating of this; Shion's language is horrendous.**

**Gokudera: Turf-top? Get out of here!**

**Ryohei: No! D-San and I were doing extremely fine before you came around!**

**Gokudera: Move, D-San! *Pulls out two handfuls of dynamite* Die, Turf Top!**


	3. Cycle 1, Phase 3

**Tsuna: *Editing the chapter for D-San***

**Gokudera: Juudaime! What are you doing?**

**Tsuna: Oh, just editing for D-San.**

**Gokudera: How dare she! Why doesn't _she _edit her _own_?**

**Tsuna: No, really, it's fine! I like editing.**

**Gokudera: Juudaime! Allow me to take your place!**

**Disclaimer: Detective-san does not own KHR! or any related merchandise. She only owns her own original character and any non-canon plot lines.**

**Gokudera: So, how is it, Juudaime?**

**Tsuna: Really good! Thank you, Gokudera-kun.**

**D-San: MOVE! - Shoves Tsuna out of the way-**

**Gokudera: JUUDAIME!**

**D-San: A very big mega-thanks to Tearful Reunion; my resources are limited and so I want to be as accurate as I can be with the Norwegian language. So thank you for correcting me! You have my thanks! -Bows repeatedly while Gokudera lurks behind with handfuls of bombs-**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Namimori, Japan<strong>_

_**Sawada Residence**_

_**3:15 PM**_

~ * ( † ) * ~

Shion hadn't stalked Chikusa at all. As a matter of fact, she went straight to Tsuna's house. The two had parted when Chikusa had found his target. Shion had headed to Tsuna's house, dressed in her incognito garb. Adjusting her shades, she stalked her way onto the wall that divided Tsuna's yard from the road. Standing on top of the wall, she leapt onto the awning that overshadowed the doorway. From there, she used the small trees that reached up to the window ledges to make her way to Tsuna's room. When she had crept onto Tsuna's window ledge, she noticed that nobody was there. That and the window was closed and locked. Scowling, Shion placed her right fist into her left hand and drove her elbow through the glass. It broke with a loud crash, and small shards of glass pelted the floor of Tsuna's room. Shion heard his signature girlish peal of terror, so she quickly made her way into his room. She stood in the middle of the room, atop the small shards of glass. When Tsuna, Yamamoto, a red-haired woman, and who Shion guessed was Tsuna's mother started to crowd in the doorway of the room, Shion started to take her disguise off.

"Shion-san! What are you doing here?"

"More importantly, are you a part of the Kokuyo gang?" The woman asked. Shion didn't answer; she just continued to get undressed.

"Shion's purpose is similar to ours." Reborn said. Shion shook out her wavy hair, and tossed the large obstructing shades aside. "It seems like she's finally ready to speak up."

"Yeah." Shion shed Kokuyo's jacket off, leaving her in a white off-shoulder sweater that was too large for her. She stood in her dark green Kokuyo pants and the shoes that had come with them. "Rokudo Mukuro has held my adoptive father captive for two years."

"Two years?" Tsuna exclaimed.

"I don't know everything myself; my dad refuses to tell me anything. I offered myself up in my dad's place, so he didn't have to take part in whatever thing Mukuro has planned." Shion folded her arms over her chest.

"What made you decide to stop?"

"A _Matryoshka_ is not easily split when all of the components are overlapped. A compound is not easily separated without enough heat and filtration. Single branches break quickly, but a threefold chord can withstand many blows. A—"

"Shion, do you always act like this?" Tsuna asked out-of-the-blue.

"Act like what?" Shion stared at Tsuna blankly, like he had just asked her why she was breathing.

"Hahaha! Tsuna, she's funny!" Yamamoto said from behind.

"She's suspicious."

"Bianchi, she's just speaking in riddles." Reborn said. "Simply said, I think she wants a family."

"She just said she had a dad, Reborn." Tsuna said.

"A mafia family; a strong family. Like your Vongola, Tsuna."

"It's not _my _Vongola!"

Shion smiled, and then peered out of Tsuna's window. She caught a sliver of silver hair, and her eyes narrowed. "Did he send someone to spy on me?"

"Huh? Let me see."

Tsuna came to the window, and his eyes got wide. It must have been someone he knew. Tsuna hastily moved the group outside while Shion hopped out through the window. She again landed in the trash, head first this time. She yelled outwards, and wriggled around desperately. She eventually knocked herself down, and got onto her feet with the trash can over her whole upper body. She wobbled towards the gates of Tsuna's house, bumping into trees and bushes of every sort. Tsuna screamed and helped lift the trash can off of her once she reached the road in front of his house. She smelled less than pleasant, but at least she had landed in a trash can filled with old clothes that didn't fit. So she smelled like musky clothes, not unmentionable compounds at the bottom of a food trash can. That was a relief, if any.

"It's that troublesome woman from Kokuyo!" Gokudera exclaimed, jabbing an accusatory finger at Shion. "Did you come to assassinate Juudaime like that beanie-wearing one?"

"I'm trailing along to save my dad." Shion said with a small scowl on her face. "Didn't anyone teach you it's rude to point?"

"She's right, Gokudera. That's not nice!" Yamamoto stated with an amicable smile.

"Shut up, baseball-freak! How can you be so lax when an assassin is staring Juudaime in the face?"

"I'm only following behind you. I won't get in your way." Shion said with a more pronounced scowl.

"Go back to Kokuyo, you dog!" Gokudera reached behind him, and pulled out three bombs that he held in between his fingers. "Go, or I'll make you."

Shion flinched, but tried to keep her determined gaze in place. It had already faltered though, and so she did the only thing she knew how to do when her emotions got the best of her.

"_Dritsekk__!_" Shion clenched her fists so that the rubber pressed together on her palms.

"What'd you just say?"

Gokudera made an attempt to lunge at the young woman, who had stuffed her hands in her pockets.

"With this group, we're ready to head to Kokuyo Land." Reborn said. "Let's go!"

~ * ( † ) * ~

_**"**__**Come **__**now, **__**memorizing **__**polyatomic **__**ions **__**are **__**easier **__**than **__**you **__**think. **__**You**__**'**__**re **__**just **__**not **__**thinking **__**hard **__**enough.**__**"**_

**Cool kitchen tile lay underneath Shion's small, admittedly fat feet. Even at this age, she was larger than the toddler who was currently showing her flash cards with letters and subscripts written on them. His green hair was still spiked in most directions, and his glances had a piercing glare to them, like he was about to tame a wild animal through the most violent of means. Shion didn't complain when Verde would call her to the living room or kitchen and hold out flash cards with formulas she was expected to know. She didn't complain when she didn't get a tomato and cheese sandwich when she would get more than three wrong. Shion just dutifully tried to memorize these things. She owned a chemistry book, a mathematics book, and a psychology book at her young age. She didn't read any of these things, but she was ready to consult them if necessary. All because Verde and Enigmar Kasuwaka were her favorite people in the world.**

**_"__Verde, __she __hasn__'__t __eaten __since __this __morning. __Lay __off __for __a __while.__"_**

_**"Not until she knows the formula for oxalate by heart. It's simple; if she's anything that you said she would be, she would get this."**_

**Shion's large blue eyes watched the toddler and her adoptive father argue amongst themselves. One of Verde's hand gestures had knocked the flash cards down from the surface of the table, making them rain all over Shion. She saw the card for oxalate, and slowly picked it up. Her blue eyes started at the word, and her mind slowly unraveled it. Oxalate; that was...**

**_"__C2O4 __with __a __-2 __charge.__"_**

**Verde and Kasuwaka looked down at Shion as her pudgy fingers picked up cards and then started to organize them. Kasuwaka became exasperated at Verde's stubborn spirit and skulked back into the living room. Verde nodded, and started to retreat back to his laboratory. There were always things to do and experiments that needed to be conducted.**

**_"__Finally. __Well __done.__"_**

_**"I finally got it?" **_

_**"Wild cards are only acceptable if they create impressionable results. Remember that."**_

~ * ( † ) * ~

_**Kokuyo Land**_

_**4:02 PM**_

~ * ( † ) * ~

"I'm going on ahead."

Shion stared at the rusted lock on the gate, and knew that it would be meaningless for her to wait for these people to get in and have to overcome all of the obstacles. She had been trailing behind the group, but she shoved her way to the front of the group now. She knew that she could jump high enough to get over the gate. Nodding, Shion crouched down and jumped up, grabbing the top of the gate and flipping over so that her feet rested on top. She looked back at Tsuna, Yamamoto, Gokudera, Bianchi, and Reborn, wondering if turning on Mukuro now was the right idea. Maybe she should just wait. Mukuro would always be there if she wanted to confront him. But if not now, then when? There was "always", but not for her father. Mukuro could kill Kasuwaka whenever he pleased. If Mukuro had found out about Shion's plan earlier than she wanted him to, then…what the hell was she doing? She shouldn't be thinking about that. It would just drain her confidence and power.

"Meet you guys there."

Shion leapt over the other side of the fence, and tumbled to the ground with the finesse and grace of a mentally challenged duck. Shion was on her side, glaring forward at a bear holding a sign for a roller coaster that was a long way gone. It was smiling at her, taunting her, implicating that this turn in her loyalties was going to bite her in the ass. Perhaps. Shion knew she was in no position to try and defect from Mukuro, what with her father's life in his hands. It felt right, though. This was the time to try and fight for the man who had taken her in and invited her into his life. Now that she had a tiny bit of support from the highest ranking fighters on the list, she felt like she stood a chance. Shion slowly sat up, looked at the group, and then hopped up onto her feet.

"I'm glad there wasn't a trash can there." Tsuna said, his face holding that expression that was a cross between exasperation and "oh-my-god-not-another-nut-job".

"Like I said…meet you there."

Shion walked deeper into Kokuyo land, deciding to take the shortcut to the hideout. The shortcut was rife with thick bushes and vines and roots that suffocated the dirt road. With every step Shion took, she stumbled over a vine that seemed to arc upwards out of nowhere or tripped over a root that was poised to prevent her progress. Not to mention that there was mud everywhere. Was this an exhibit? If it was, it made for a shitty shortcut. By the time Shion grappled her way out of the muddy, sticky underbrush, she was covered in mud and scratches and bruises. She didn't want to present herself to Mukuro as a competitor when she looked like an underdog. So, she scoured the area and saw a trail of unconscious Kokuyo students prostrate on the ground. She didn't want to wear the Kokuyo uniform while facing Mukuro as his enemy. He was the kind of person who would ask "well, why are you still wearing our uniform?" and that would make Shion even more upset. Shion would take having clean clothes over having to deal with the humiliation of battling Mukuro dirty, though. She walked up to the bodies and examined them, looking for the body with the smallest uniform on. She found one that was small, in relatively good condition, and blood-free. She dragged this body back into the trees, stripped it of its undershirt, pants, and jacket, and then kicked it back out into the open. After she changed, Shion entered the hideout.

Shion knew that Mukuro was in the game room, since he always said that he would enjoy having a showdown amongst the things he enjoyed. That day, Shion remembered, she rolled her eyes and just scoffed, calling him _dritsekk _like always. That was their relationship; Scheme, "Kufufufu", insult, repeat. Shion didn't know if she really _had _any productive, amicable relationship with _anyone _in the Kokuyo Gang. She tolerated Chikusa, and he tolerated Shion in turn, but the two never really called themselves friends. Shion and Ken would fight all the time, with words and with their bodies. They didn't consider each other friends, but allies in a sense. Ken would protect Shion and vice versa. And finally there was the big cheese himself…

"I was waiting." Mukuro purred from his seat in the back of the game room. "That uniform looks a bit large for you, Shion-chan."

"So, I guess that you know what I'm here for." Shion asked with her arms folded underneath her chest.

"Of course. You're always the one to comment on my omnipotence; I figured you would know that at least." Shion rolled her eyes, and heard a groan from the corner.

"Hmm? Who's that?"

"Just a "miss", Shion-chan. Nothing that you need to worry about."

Shion focused on the source of the sound, her eyes adjusting to the inky blackness that engulfed the room. Lying there was Hibari Kyoya, bloodied up to the point where he was barely moving; where any attempts at movement only warranted a groan or a mouth full of blood. Shion tore her eyes away from the sight; it was a disgrace to be seen that way. It was especially embarrassing if the one who was looking at you had only been beaten by you a few days before the fact. Shion glared at Mukuro, who was approaching her with a trident in his hands. A sick smirk was on his face; one that Shion had never seen but certainly would have accredited to his sadistic attitude. _You__'__d __have __to __be __to __beat __someone __that __badly_, Shion mused with a pitiable expression.

"So, this is how you really are." Shion said. Her voice was barely above a whisper; disturbing the male in the corner seemed to be all too cruel.

"How I really am, Shion-chan? Didn't you know that when you met me that night two years ago? This shouldn't come as a surprise to you."

"I don't care about what you do, just as long as my father isn't involved in any of it."

"You won't have to worry about. I saw this coming, so your father is dead."

Shion didn't register Mukuro's words correctly, so with trembling lips she asked, "Come again?"

"Your father is dead."

Shion's body moved without her consent. She didn't want to attack Mukuro so boldly, but her legs carried her close to him, and she lashed out at his face with her fist. He leaned back, and grabbed a loose section of cloth from her uniform's jacket. Mukuro yanked Shion close to him, so that the two were torso to torso, face to face; so close that Shion could smell the anticipation and adrenaline on his breath. It was that nauseating scent that made Shion snap out of the rage that her body had felt.

"You didn't kill him; you don't have the guts." Shion hissed. Mukuro's hand wrapped around her neck, and he held the prongs of the trident dangerously close to Shion's abdomen. Her hands wrapped around his skinny wrist, and her eyes glared into his. "Do you?"

"Don't underestimate me, Shion-chan. You were a good pawn in my game…" Mukuro plunged the trident into Shion's abdomen, and released her neck. He drew her closer to him by way of the trident; like she was a creature he had just speared and was now ready to play with. "But! Uprisings are quickly taken care of, even if I have to sacrifice a few pieces."

Mukuro swung the trident to the right, Shion's body landing besides Hibari's. She landed on her back next to him, her head resting on his shoulder. Shion placed her hand over her stomach and took a few calming breaths before sitting up fully. "Even if I was a pawn, I never followed you blindly like Ken and Chikusa did. Everything I did was for my father; I found a way out and I took it!"

"Your "way out" isn't helping you much, is it Shion-chan? If it was, you wouldn't be bleeding from your stomach right now." Mukuro laughed; the "kufufufu" that once amused Shion, even a bit, became the most annoying, infuriating pattern that she could ever hear. "Your father is dead, you have no help coming for you, and there is nothing that can save you. You only have your own meager powers and the gloves that I gave you. I'm starting to wonder if I should regret that, as well."

"If there was ever a seventh circle of hell, I _pray _that you find it." Shion stood up, and balled up her fists. "Even if I am bleeding, I want to fight for the man that took me in and put his life on hold to raise me."

"That kind of sentimental outlook is what put you in the position you're in now."

"We'll see who has the worst end of the stick after I'm done with you."

Mukuro and Shion nodded to each other before lunging; Shion's metal-clad fists colliding with the staff of Mukuro's trident. Shion could already feel herself being forced back; Mukuro was in a better state of health than she was. She was physically weaker than he was. The prospect of winning was narrow; the probability of winning, as her dad would say, is so close to zero that it would be a fool's move to continue.

_Verde __said __wild __cards __are __acceptable__…__if __they __make __an __impression._

* * *

><p><strong>Gokudera: Hmph...<strong>

**D-San: What?**

**Tsuna: Gokudera's just wondering why you don't make more canon-centric stories, D-san.**

**D-San: It's funny that you wonder that, Gokudera, because I'm working on a few new series dealing with the canon characters.**

**Gokudera/Tsuna: Really?**

**D-San: Yeah. You'll just have to wait until I get the drafts out.**

**Tsuna: I'm happy you're branching out, D-San...**

**Gokudera: Mmhmm.**


	4. Cycle 1, Phase 4

**Fuuta: *Whistling the Hot Cross Buns song***

**Lambo: Fuuta, play with Lambo!**

**Fuuta: I'm editing for D-San.**

**Lambo: Oooh? Let the Great Lambo help!**

**Disclaimer: D-San doesn't own the great Lambo! She only owns her silly character!**

**Fuuta: For some reason, this disclaimer seems more like an attack...**

**Lambo: Gyahahaa! **

* * *

><p><em><strong>Kokuyo Land<strong>_

_**5:09 PM**_

~ * ( † ) * ~

Tsuna's group had just finished their showdown with the Kokuyo "student" Birds. They emerged victorious, of course, because of interventions from Shamal and I-pin. As Tsuna advanced through Kokuyo Land searching for Fuuta, Tsuna couldn't control his thoughts; they inevitably returned to Shion and her progress with Mukuro. With the picture he was shown, he was sure that Mukuro was a large enemy difficult to handle. Shion—despite having dexterity and a good sense of balance—was a fragile looking girl. She was tall, yet lanky and looked like she could be snapped like a twig. Tsuna hadn't known her long, no. But nobody deserved to be snapped in half, especially girls. A shiver ran up and down Tsuna's spine, making him physically cold. Would Shion be…okay?

"Fuuta! Where are you, Fuuta?" Tsuna was desperate the find the little boy; he was around such dangerous people. Tsuna would feel incredibly guilty if Fuuta got hurt on his watch.

The foliage was thick, and the sun was struggling to break through the tree canopies. Tsuna didn't know where he was going. Frankly, as long as he found Fuuta, this aimless wandering would be worth something. As Tsuna kept following the dirt road, he looked down and saw footprints. Some were smaller, Fuuta's size, and some were larger than yet not as large as a man's foot size. _These __must __be __Shion__'__s_, Tsuna thought with dread. They led right through the trees, and towards…

A rustle in the bushes yanked Tsuna out of his thoughts. He looked back, praying that it was Fuuta. Instead, it was another boy. His blue hair concealed his right eye, and one innocent blue eye peered back at Tsuna. This eye was filled with hope at finding someone other than a Kokuyo student wandering around. The boy approached Tsuna, and offered him a sweet smile.

"Thank goodness someone came to save us."

"Ah, were you captured, too?"

The boy only stared at Tsuna, and an uneasy lump settled in his stomach. As the two talked, Tsuna's feeling of dread continued to grow. When Tsuna mentioned Reborn, the boy's demeanor changed completely. The boy had transformed from a hopeful hostage to a baleful bad guy, and those were the kind of people that Tsuna stayed away from. Tsuna backed away, the cold wind that blew past and revealed the boy's eye making his blood stop in place. Tsuna's heart was beating quickly, yet it seemed like it was in slow motion. A strange combination to put into words; Tsuna wouldn't wish the experience on anyone alive, though.

"I-uhm-haaah—I have to go get to my friends! I left them behind so I have to go, uhm-bye!"

Tsuna kept eye contact with the male before turning his back to the blue-haired boy and hauling ass out of the area. Tsuna's heart had kicked into overdrive, sending messages to his brain so that it could comprehend what the hell just happened. _Okay,__so __I __met __this __guy, __and __he __seemed __nice. __In __reality, __he__'__s __a __creep! __Who __wa s__he?__ Was __he __related __to __Rokudo __Mukuro? __Did __he __know __where __Shion, __Fuuta, __or __Hibari __were? __So __many __questions!_

As Mukuro watched Tsuna run deeper into the trees, he nodded to himself. Chikusa was right behind him, and it seemed that their suspicions were right. Tsunayoshi was traveling with an Arcobaleno, one of the strongest toddlers the world has ever seen. It made the game so much more interesting. Mukuro and Chikusa retreated back to the base, with Mukuro's laugh reverberating from the darkness that answered him with the same sinister chime.

~ * ( † ) * ~

Shion was dragged up to Mukuro by her hair. He had moved to the theater, into the darkness that Shion could only now clearly see seeping from his being. The room was large, and floorboards were pulled up and the curtains were torn to shreds that hung from rusted beams. Mukuro was sitting on a large sofa that was trimmed with faux gold, lined with dark velvet. It was his disgusting throne. Shion saw nothing but pestilence pouring from the floorboards, blood staining the curtains, corpses creating the chair that Mukuro would sit on. _Am __I __seeing__…__the __future? __Perhaps __I__'__m __having __an __out-of-body __experience__…_

Shion didn't know who was dragging her to Mukuro; Chikusa or Ken. It was probably Chikusa. Ken would refuse to touch her after what she did. If anything, he valued loyalty the most. And what she had done was a clear breach of the loyalty that the four were thought to have shared. Whoever it was, they seemed to steer clear of the holes and the floorboards, of the protruding nails and the props that were used for one perverse reason or another. They tossed her towards the stage, where her back collided with the wood. Shion tried to see through the darkness, but she could not. This was not normal darkness; this was Mukuro's darkness. He blotted out all hope, and he sucked her purpose out of her. Her hair was grabbed again, and her blood seemed to run like water through her body. Her body was preparing itself to bleed once more.

"Is this round number three, Shion-chan? Or number four?" Mukuro punched Shion in her wounded stomach, the blood that had clotted giving way to new, warm blood. Mukuro kneed Shion in the jaw, and delivered a blow to her face. "Can you stand?"

Shion planted her feet on the ground, and stood straight up. Mukuro started to beat her incessantly with both his fists and his legs, pummeling the girl until her legs just…gave way. "Was your freedom worth this, Shion-chan?"

Shion, enduring the pain of a split lip and her bleeding tongue, let blood run down her chin before replying with surprising resolve, "Yes."

"Remember, Shion-chan, there's nothing you have to fight for. He's gone."

"_Mor __di, __dritsekk._"

Mukuro drove his fist into Shion's stomach over and over, relishing her pained groans and small screams when he would hit a particularly tender spot. Sufficiently beaten and silenced, Mukuro personally dragged her back to her place with the "miss", Hibari Kyoya. Mukuro tossed her down, roughly at that, so that her back collided with the wall. Mukuro could have only hoped the crack he heard was the snap of her spine, or the sound of her skull cracking from the abuse she had suffered. Shion's head fell onto Hibari's leg, and in his current state—though he was much better off than Shion—he wasn't in the position to do much either. He didn't move his leg. Mukuro left the two to stomach their pain in the dark.

"Get off of me, girl." After the beating she endured, nothing Hibari could do or threaten to do could ever register as a risk to her. "You were…the one who infiltrated Namimori…and…_pulled_…the fire alarm."

"That's me." Shion's trembling right hand touched her right eyelid, where there was a cut. The gloves on her hands felt so cold when compared to the hot blood running down her face.

The silence between the two was anything but comfortable. Yet, it was…tolerable. Hibari glanced down at this girl's head, his expression apathetic, but his mind taking in the details. Her hair was dirtied with blood; so much so that he couldn't identify the original color. There was a cut over her right eye, and her left eye was unharmed. It was the color of ice; a strange, slightly haunting color in this darkness. Her skin was pale; so pale. Maybe she was dead. Hibari adjusted himself slightly; his leg was honestly falling asleep.

"Are you dead?"

"No." Shion answered simply.

"That was the second time he took you from here."

Shion chuckled. That was all that came from her throat. A chuckle without sarcasm. A chuckle without derision. A chuckle without emotion. It was just a sound. It seemed to only come forth to reassure her of something. "He can't count. He's a…a…"

"…?"

"_Snørrunge_. A brat."

Hibari scowled, although…he didn't seem to see the error in that analysis of the malevolent man. The two stayed in the darkness. Shion's breathing was surprisingly calm, although it was choppy and filled with blood. Hibari could hear the liquid filling her throat, her mouth, and even her nose. It was disgusting. It made him grimace. Shion tried to lift her head; she made a grandiose, valiant effort. But she crashed, and her head rested on Hibari's thigh.

"You are Namimori's…you're the Disciplinary Head, Hibari Kyoya." Shion said, her blood starting to fill her mouth again. "You didn't make it onto the list…I don't see why not."

"You're the reason why so many students were getting attacked." Hibari concluded all too quickly.

"I…I didn't finish the list…" Shion started. "I only…got the names…I…the list…Mukuro…he…did…it…"

Hibari and Shion both heard explosions from above, and their gazes turned upwards. "Wake me up when something interesting happens, girl."

Shion sat up, a splitting headache aiming to rend her head in half. She bit back a loud yell, and blood pooled in her mouth again from her throat. She turned away from Hibari, released her bile, and then closed her eyes to sustain her body's balance. She had been beat to _hell. _She supposed, though, that this was the price of freedom. The Americans pressed through a war with the soldiers from their motherland to gain life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Moses led his people against the emperor of Egypt to carry them to freedom in the wilderness. In these, and many more, casualties were sustained. Deaths were mourned over shortly, and then the battle continued on. Shion supposed that this was her price for freedom.

"If it turns out…that my father…is really dead…I'll resurrect him…and then…kill him again." Shion murmured. "Tsuna-san…"

"Hmm?" Hibari groaned from his position; his right knee drawn up with his head resting in the pocket his arms created. "You know the herbivore?"

"…interesting." Shion said. "Most humans are…omnivores…our teeth…are designed for breaking down…meat and…vegetation…Tsuna-san must be…a vegetarian to be a…herbivore."

"…"

"I…broke into his house. H-he was playing one of the new video games…Final blah-di-blah-di-blah…It sucked…" Shion chuckled again, and she heard another pair of explosions and a yell from above. Her ears tuned in. "Chikusa…"

"…" Hibari was silent. Shion continued to mumble to herself.

"Kaki-pi. If…I'd want anyone to forgive me…if you could…I'd be fine…Ken…_dritsekk_…loyal, idiotic, goofy _dritsekk_…come out of this hell…Mukuro…" _Midori __tanabiku __Namimori __mo__…_

Light poured into the area where Hibari and Shion were sitting. Hibari didn't have to be awakened; the explosion had done that enough for him. Fragments of the stone wall, hot and stirring, hit Shion's skin and seemed to bring the pale flesh to life, for only a moment. The red patches of skin would take on their pale pallor again, but the flourish of color only served as a beacon. Shion would rise up again. As she watched Hibari grab his tonfas and prepare to attack, her left eye glared forward at Ken and Chikusa. They had barely taken notice of her, even when the light was streaming over her. She closed her left eye, and stood up, smearing a blood trail up against the wall…

~ * ( † ) * ~

"She's heavier than I thought!"

"Hmph…tall woman."

Shion noticed that she was being carried by two people. One was the silver haired boy that was at Tsuna's house, Gokudera. The other was, of course, Hibari. Who were the people she was expecting; Chikusa and Ken? They'd touch her only if they were taking her traitor corpse to the grave. Shion planted her feet on the ground, and started to pull her own weight. Her right leg dragged when she made an effort to lift it, but it was because of her own lack of motivation. She firmly placed her right foot on the ground, and put her weight on it. She gritted her blood sheeted teeth, snarled, and then put weight on her left. The pain that shot up from her left leg was almost as unbearable as the pain from her right leg. She shivered, but continued to walk with Gokudera and Hibari until she felt that she could walk on her own. When she could, she broke away from in between the boys and let Hibari support Gokudera's weight on one shoulder while she supported the rest.

"You…" Gokudera snarled, starting to try and wriggle out of Shion's grasp.

"I'd stop." Shion stared forward, her stomach twisting into knots; so many knots. "If we want to protect Tsuna-san, let's not fight."

"Don't address Juudaime so familiarly! I'll blow you up even in this state!" Gokudera raged.

"Your state or mines?"

Gokudera seemed to examine Shion for the first time since their run-in at Tsuna's house. Her right eyelid was split, and blood coursed down her face and ended at her chin. Bruises covered her whole body; her stomach seemed to have been the area where she was wounded the most. Her right leg dragged slightly, even when Shion was trying to put all of her weight on it. She stumbled at times, but she was still holding most of Gokudera's weight. The weak and battered trio wondered how much further they had to go.

"Speaking of states, Hibari." Gokudera offered a bag to Hibari, and then sighed. "It's medicine for that sakura-kura."

"Hmph." Hibari took the medication and let his head hang for a moment.

"We look like rag dolls." Shion commented out-of-the-blue. Gokudera and Hibari both glanced at her, and then stared forward.

"You were the fool that became a traitor."

"What you call betrayal is what I call necessity." Shion stated. "What can I say? I'm a family girl."

"Why are you even traveling with us?" Gokudera snidely inquired.

"My father was held hostage and apparently killed by Rokudo Mukuro." Shion said. "I won't say that my driving force now is revenge or anything like that."

"Then what is it?"

"…dad would have wanted me to keep fighting. He raised me with book sense, not common sense. He said things that would be foolish to do would be possible for me." Shion smiled wryly at the memory, shaking her head.

"Hmm? There's a staircase right here." Hibari nodded to the left, where a narrow staircase nestled in darkness sat waiting to the scaled.

"That leads up to the theater. That's where Tsuna-san is." Shion nodded up, and her left eye narrowed. "It's also where Rokudo Mukuro is."

"Tch. He's no match for us." Gokudera said.

"I'll bite him to death." Hibari scowled, and his eyes seemed to narrow at the memory of getting beaten by Mukuro.

Interestingly enough, all three combatants had the same finite tone in their voices, and their beaten and battered bodies grew strong again with the tiny flicker of resolve that came to live and flourished inside.


End file.
